Refrigerator



G. MUFFLY Zl REFRIGERTOR A Filed oct. 3,1941 f 4 sheets-sheet' 1 jug IN VENTOR f# 1I M,

i l ATTORNEYS 1 Nov. 5, 1946.

G. MUFFLY Rammmon Filed oct. :5, 1941 4 sheets-sheet s G. MUFFLY REFRIGEATOR Nov. 5 1946.'

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 3. 1941 m. @n m@ M wf m .im H 2 @y @BM Patented Nov. 5, 1946 REFRIGERATOR Glenn Muly, Springeld, Ohio Application October 3, 1941, Serial No. 413,495

'(Cl. S12-192) 14 Claims. .i This invention pertains to refrigeration an particularly to mechanical refrigerators adapted for household use.

One of the objects is to provide a self-'opening and self-closing outer door.

Another object is to provide operating means for such a door, employing spring means which acts at one time to open the door and at another time to close the door.

An additional object is to provide a door or cover for an inner receptacle of such a refrigerator which is self-closing as a result of closure of th'e outer door.

An additional object is to provide a refrigerator door with a latch which does not project forward farther than the door itself, thus simplifying the packing of the refrigerator for shipment and eliminating the use of a projecting handle or other part which might catch on a persons clothing.

Still another object is to provide for location of the door operating mechanism within the refrigerating machinery compartment of the refrigerator.

The accompanying drawings illustrate only one design withoutgoing into modifications except that Figure 'l shows an alternative type of latch for the freezer door. In these drawings similar reference numbers are used for similar parts y throughout, and all figures except Figure 7 are tied together by the broken lines which indicate where sectional views are taken.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the refrigerator, showing the outer door broken away, the freezer door removed and the ice-water tank removed for aclearer showing of internal parts.

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1 taken on line 2-2 thereof, showing the ice-water tank in position and illustrating the method employed to reclose the cover of this tank. This view also shows a section of the half mold used in forming the door frame from plastic material.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of Figure 1 taken mainly on the line 3--3 thereof and including broken portions. This view shows the spring devices for actuating the outer door and for reclosing the ice-water tank cover. It also shows details of the main door latch and its connection with the door closing mechanism.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of Figure 1` taken on the line l-t thereofto illustrate the relationship between the hinge rod of the outer door of the outer panel immediately below the door. A

Figure 5 isv a sectional view taken on the line the hinge rod to the door and to the cabinet and Y further to show sections of the molded door frame and of the molded frame for' the door opening, illustrating the change of section of these frames on the hinge side of the door as compared with the sections seen in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure is a detail view of the freezer latch as seen from the line 6 6 of Figure l.

Figure 7 is a fractional horizontal sectional view of the freezer and its door, showing a. modii'led form of latch.

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing a part of Figure 3 in greater detail. f

Figure 9 is a detail of Figure 3 showing the door spring mechanism with door partially open.

Figure 10 is similar to Figure 9, but showing the door fully opened.

Figure 11 is an enlarged detail View showing the part of Figure 2 which includes the spring and latch means for the cover of the ice-maker tank. v

The cabinet l is fitted to open the full front of the vfood space. The door is attached to the hinge rod t which is connected with a spring-actuated mechanism. for both opening and closing the door, as below described.

To open the door the striker plate 9 is pushed inwardly toward the cabinet, the plate being hinged atY 8 (Figures 3' and 8). This moves the push rod i@ inwardly, moving the latch lever il in a counterclockwise direction together with the shaft l2, as viewed`from above, thus Withdrawing the hinged latch end it from engagement with the door, which is thereupon opened by the door spring It; This spring is supported at one end by the fixed member i8 and acts upon the lever 20, which is secured to the hinge rod i. This hinge rod is in turn secured to thev outer wall member of the door, being free to rotate in bearings 6 and 1. Since the spring I6 is under tension when the door is closed, it acts in an opening direction on the door while the lever 2t moves through the angle a. The inertia Vof the door will thereupon stretch the spring i6 while 'the lever 20 and the door move through a slightly lesser angle, as seen in Fig. 9 and indicated at b in Fig.

3, bringing the Alever Q20 to the position 2li'. At this point the pawl 22, which is alsosecured upon the rod i, has engaged the notch 23 ofthe ratchet quadrant 26, thus" holding the door open with the spring I6 partially extended.

It will thus be seen that a user coming to the refrigerator with both hands full can open the with a door 3 adapted opens far enough to provide ordinary access to the food compartment and it may be pushed to the 90 positionvof full opening (Fig. l0) without using the hands. When the door is so pushed `the pawl 22 is moved into engagement with the second notch 25 in the quadrant 24. The lever 20 is at the same time moved tothe dotted Dosition 20", further extending the spring I6.

A To close the door from this full-open position it is only necessary to again depress the plate 9. which causes the shaft I2 to move counterclockwise as seen in Figs. Sand 8, carrying with it the lever 2'I and through the medium of pull-ro'd 29 moving the quadrant 24 away from the pawl 22. The plate 9 should preferably be held in its depressed position until the pawl 22 has passed the notch 23, then released before the door has fully closed, but the notch 23 is so formed that failure to do this will not prevent closing of the door. It will be noted that the angle c plus b is considerably greater than the angie a, hence the energy stored up in the spring I6Awhen the door is at its full-open position will impart sutilcient momentum to the door to carry the lever 20 through the angle a and therebyload the spring I6 under tension with suicient energy for reopeningv the door as above described.

As the door closes it engages the latch end I4, which is hinged upon the latch lever II in a direction to allow the ydoor to close without moving the lever I I and its associated parts. The hingejoining II and I 4, is of a one-way type and provided with a spring acting to hold the part I4 in the position shown, with its arcuate end engaging the notch in the striker on the door. By means of a suitable angle and location of the notch surface, the latch end I4 is stopped by contact on its arcuate end rather than on one side, thus holding it slightly `out of line with the lever iI, canted at an angle so that it holds the door securely-closed. This angle is enough to allow for wear, but not enough to impose an excessive toggle load on the depression o! the plate 9 for the next opening of the door. Y

'Ihe spring 3| is attached to the rod 29 and to a xed support on the cabinet so as tobe under some tension. It holds the lever 21 against its stop 32, thus establishing the normal position of the plate 9, the lever II and the quadrant 24. The spring 3l is located so as to pull at an angle upon the rod 29 and thuskeep this rod from vibrating. The quadrant 24 is pivoted on the horizontal wall above th machinery compart ment of the cabinet in a manner to allow the lever 20 to swing freely below it.

, The notches 23 and 25 and the end of the pawl 22 are rounded or given a negative rake. is not a great enough rake to allowthe spring I6 to overcome the spring 3l, but is sufficient to prevent injury to the parts in the event that the user forces the door in a closing direction instead of touching the plate 9. It is preferred that the negative rake of the notch 23 be greater than the negative rake of the notch 25, both because this notch has less spring tension to hold and so as to allow the user to push the door closed from its two-thirds open position without touching the plate 9.

` The hinge rod 4 is provided with a rigidly attached collar having a thrust bearing against the bottom supporti, which also forms the annular bearing at the lower end of the hinge rod. The upper end of the hinge rod has a bearing agudezaY This , i 4 in the support l. The hingerod 4 passes outside of the welded joint between the right-hand outer sheet 3l of the cabinet and panel 38 below the door, as seen in Figure 4, but its lower endis 5 concealed behind the unit compartment door 30.

Panel 38-may be one piece with the sheet of metal below the bottom insulation, as shownfto reduce the length of joints to be welded. The door 3l may Ybe removed from the cabinet by removing the door 30, disconnecting the spring I6 and lever 20, loosening the lower support 6 from the cabinet opening the door and dropping it down to withdraw the upper end of the rod 4 from its support 1. l

The base II2 of the cabinet, seen in Figure 2, 'is set in at the front to allow toe room and for entry of air between it and door 30, as indicated by the arrow. The base II2 may also be'set in at the sides of the cabinet to allow it to be placed closer to a wall on the right or left side. Removable corner pieces I I3 may be furnished to flll the sides of the base so that the user may remove one to clear a quarter-round and set the cabinet closer to a wall, or may leave it onfor appear- 25 ance. This inset base and the ycorner pieces are also helpful. in packing and moving the cabinet without damage.

The freezer 40 is similar to vone shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 237,629, filed Oct. l 29, 1938, which has become Patent No.

2,359,780, dated Oct. 10, 1944, being located similarly with respect to the ice-maker tank 55 and to the basket IIIi'which is attached to the cabi- .net door 3. The eutectic tank II5 is similar to the tank 2I0 of this earlier application. It will be understood that the means for closing the freezer door disclosed in this prior application may be employed in connection with the present disclosure. A difference between the freezer and 40 tank arrangement ofgthe present application and that of the earlier application last mentioned above is that I have madethe freezer wider and the ice-maker tank narrower. This is done to improve the visibility of the interior of the cabinet, particularly portions of shelves located below the ice-maker tank. The arrangement here shown places theice-maker and the freezer in an inverted pyramid arrangement whereby the user is given an angle of vision which allows a clear view of the major portion of the food storage space. A

The freezer 40 is an insulated enclosure which may be considered a small refrigerator within the main refrigerator. It is provided with insulated walls and with an insulated door 42, the

latter being hinged at the right and fitted with a special latch which serves not only to hold the freezer door closed, but as a means for prying the door free when it is frozen shut. A freezer of this type should be held at a temperature considerably lower than that of the main food compartment and the latter should be held at a temperature above freezing with a high relative humidity. The air of the main food compartment of the refrigerator will therefore contain enough moisture to fall below its dew point at the junction of the freezer door andthe fixed freezer walls. 'I'his causes frost to collect in the-door Joint, freezing the door shut.. When the freezer door isopened after being closed for aconsiderable period it is necessary to break the ice thus formed, hence I have provided means for doing this.

Figure 6 is a fractional view showing a side elevation of the latch as it would be seen-from the -left as indicated in Figure 1. The freezer .40 is closed by thel hinged door l2, this door having rigidly attached thereto .the latch plate or striker 43. When the door is pushed .shut this striker engages and lifts the latch member M,

this latchor pawl being returned by the spring 4B to secure the door in its closed position. To open the latch the lever i6 is moved in the direction of its dotted position 46. and the lug 4l lifts the latch di clear of the striker 43 so that the door may be opened. Since the spring 45 is the lug il is a cam surface d8 which has increasf ing radii with reference to its pivot point. This 6 the order of |25, which cabinet to form a substantially tight t, preferably using one or more gaskets as shown at |24. The plastic material |23 is poured or forced into the space defined by the outer metal wall, the liner, the insulating material and the mold form |25 through the sprue |26, which'may be in multiple, including one or more risers or vents'to surface is arranged to engage the striker |33 when `the lever d6 is moved farther than enough to lift the latch it out of engagement with the striker t3. ice bond which may have been formedbetween the door 42 and the body of the freezer 40. One continuous movement of the lever 46 rearwardly first lifts the latch and then forcibly pushes the door open far enough to break any ice bond. In order that the door d2 may be slammed or pushed closed without danger of damage that might result from inertia of the lever d6 I have provided for movement of the latch'd .independently of the lever d6 in an upward direction. The parts et and d5 are pivoted upon a common pin but not attached together except that the lug di. on the part et provides a positive means for lifting the latch dd.

The modified freezer door latch seen in Figure 'l is equipped with a bolt i12, which engages the striker plate |16, forming a Aconventional spring latch ofthe self-closing variety, which may be opened by means of the handle ile. The latch bolt |12 is arranged to slide within thelatch body lll against the action of spring H3 when handle |16 is pulled. I have added an extension |15 to this handle, so formed that it engages striker plate llafter the bolt |12 has been withdrawn from the striker plate. It is thus seen that the user need only pull on the handle l'll to rst withdraw the bolt |'l2from the striker plate and then to use the handle |16 and its extensioii 'ibas a lever to pry the door open by breaking the-frost or ice around it. This one pull on the handle l'lvwill further open the freezer door d2.

With either type of'latch, the freezer door is l automatically closed by the closing of theouter door as disclosed in my application, Serial No.

237,629, led October 29, 1938, the rubber bumper 6| finally pushing the door d2 closed to its latching position.

The insulating material for cabinet walls is preferably in board form or semi-rigid packages. This insulation is placed within the outer shell of the cabinet and then the cabinet liner is pushed into place. The blocks 3d of wood or other material, preferably having a low thermal conductivity but being substantially non-compressible, are forced into place between the edge of the l liner and edge of the outer shell, as seen in Figures 2 and 5. Wires 35 are then tied or welded in place to hold these edges in position and secure the blocks 3ft. The plastic material E23 is molded in place by the use of a mold form onl The purpose of this cam is to break any A insure complete filling of the cavity with the -plastic material. The mold form |25 is provided with cores |21 and |23 which may be used to circulate hot or cold iiuids as required to heat or cool the plastic material to 'expedite its hardening or to form a hard skin on its exposed side next to the mold form. The drawings are section lined to indicate use of a rubber compound, but it is to be understood that any suitable plastic material may be used.

A mold half similar to |25, but of female form to receive the door 3, is used in like manner to cast the plastic frame or breaker which joins the inner and outer metal Walls of the door and seals the insulating materialbetween them. It will be noted that blocks 3Q are not required on the door, but the wires 35 are used to secure the metal walls of the door together after assembling them with the insulating material between, preferably in a press which holds thesel metalwalls together while the wires are tied or welded. The door thus assembled is then placed in the mold form and the plastic material injected as above described.

It will be noted that the angle of the contact surfaces between the door and the cabinet walls is different on the hinge side of the door as compared with other sides of the door. These surfaces blend into each other at the corners of the door adjacent to the hinge and all of the corners are rounded. The object is to form a smooth door frame in they cabinet and a smooth frame on the door itself, each of these frames serving the` triple purpose of a frame, of a seal connecting the inner and outer metal walls in an airtight manner, and of a compressible contact surface to minimize air leakage when the door is closed.

'These contact surfaces are at different angles relative to the cabinet walls at different sides, as above described, but preferably they approach uniformity with respect to the axis upon which the door swings. The contact lareas are modifled from the conventional form in order that 'each of these surfaces may approach a plane radial with respect to the axis of the door hinge.

This provides for bringing the surfaces together with the minimum of slippage relative to each purpose of improving the airtightness of the joint 1 between them when the door is closed.

This construction eliminates the use of the usual breaker strip with its attendant joints and corner pieces. Being molded in place, the plastic frame itself provides both the seal for the insulation and the finish around the door and around its opening in the cabinet. It further provides two pairs of mating annular gasket surfaces for better sealing of the door when it is closed. The exposed plastic surfaces are preferably so rounded and smooth as to minimize their tendency to collect dirt and to make it easier to Wipe them, clean.

The ice and water tank 55, which will be under is clamped against the in the tank 55.

' The ice discs 6|'are released to float in the water during each idle period ofthe evaporator 68, in accordance with the method disclosed in my several issued patents, lparticularly No. 2,145,- 773. The tank is provided'with a cover 56 having a handle 80`by means o'f which it can be lifted and pushed back to the position shown in Figure 2. s

When the cover is thus opened, ice blocks 6| may be scooped out by means of a perforated spoon or ladle 58k which is shown in -Figure 2. The handle of this ladle is provided with a hole so that it can be hun'g upon the hook 59 seen at the upper right-hand corner of Figure 1. The

handle extends beyond this hole in a curved form so related to the curvature of the cabinet lining that the ladle can be hung on the hook in only one position. Thus any water dripping from the ladle will flnd its way into the pan 66, which extends to theright slightly beyond the tank 55.

The ladle preferably hangs clear of the cover 56 so that the cover may be openedwhile the ladle is in place and the ladle may be vrehung upon its hook before the ice-maker tank cover is reclosed. This provides for allowing the ladle tohang in its position when the tank cover is opened merely to replenish the water supply. `It will be noted that the tank extends considerably forward of the freezer door 42 and that the space above it infront of the freezer is clearwhen the door 3 is opened, since the basket l0 is attached to the door 3 and swings with it.

The cover 56 of the ice-maker tank is adapted to be opened by raising at the front and pushing rearwardly as shown in several of my issued patents, particularly No. 2,145,775, issued Jan. 3l, 1939. In the present application I show an automatic mechanism for re-closing the tank cover, since itj has been found that users sometimes neglect to do this. The cover 56 is provided with a handle 60 for lifting it, whereupon the cover is ltilted upward against the freezer 40, which has a beveled portion 82 to allow clearance for a wider opening of the tank cover. Attached to the cover 56 by means of ears 84 is a rod 86 which slides within the tube 81, both being surrounded by the compression spring 88. The tube 81 is provided with a collar to act as a stop, the tube being freely fitted within a hole in the upper portion of the bracket 90 which isremovably attached to the tank 55. As the cover is pushed rearwardly the spring 88 is compressed to provide energy for re-closing the cover.

`At the rear extremity of the cover 56 there is a rib 92 formed by embossingV the .metal of the cover or by adding a part to it and this rib is adapted'to engage the ears 94 of the bracket 90, these` ears being notchedto receive the rib 92. The forms of the rib and of the notches are such that the cover is retained in its open -position against the action of the spring 88, but this anchorage may be broken by a slight forward move- 8 ment of the cover, whereupon the spring 88 acts to close the cover.

The required push for initiating the spring closing of the cover is provided by means of the rocker 96 (seen in Figures 3 and 11), which is pivoted on the lower wall of the freezer 48 at 81 and connected with the push rod 98, which extends forward throughthe iront vertical wall of the drip baille 10 and is capped by the rubber bumper 99, adapted to be engaged by the inner wall of the cabinet door 3.

When'the door is closed the button 99 is in contact with it and the rod 98 is thereby pushed to its rearward position, compressing the spring |08. When the door 3 is opened this spring moves the rod 98 forward and the rocker 96 is thereby moved counterclockwise until it is stopped by contact with a suitable stop orwith the rear wallof the cabinet. If the ice-maker tank cover 56 is not opened, the reclosing of cabinet door 3 merely recompresses the spring |00, but if the cover 56 has been opened it is given a slight forward push by the lever 96 when the cabinet door is closed, thereby allowing the spring 88 to complete the closing of the cover 56.

The tank 55 is removable from the cabinet without disturbing any of the operating mechanism. After the tank is removed, as for washing, the cover 56 may be readily removed from the tank, whereupon the rod 86 is withdrawn from the tube 81 and the spring 88 is free. The tube 81 is freely removable from the bracket 90, since it is retained in position by the spring only, and v the bracket 90 may also be removed from its sup- 35 port 9| on the tank. Since therod 98 is required tomove side-wise slightly with the movement of' the lever 96 its rear support |02, which retains one end of the spring |00, is provided with an oversize or elongated hole to allow such move- The refrigerating system employed in cooling this cabinet includes a motor-compressor unit IML-preferably of the sealed type, which delivers compressed refrigerant vaporthrough tube |3| vto the condenser 14, from which the liquid line 16 leads into heat exchange relation with the suction line 'I1 and thence to the expansion device |35, which is associated with the valve mechanism |31. This valve mechanism is similar to Figure l of my co-pending application No. 346,085, led July 18, 1940, except that I have here shown the expansion device as a separate assembly.

The valve assembly |31 distributes refrigerant liquid either to the evaporator through the 5 5 tube |32 or to the evaporator |5| through the tube |50. Refrigerant flows through the active one of these evaporators back through the tube |52 from the freezer or tube 18 from the evaporator 60 to the valve assembly |31, to the dryer 5o coil |38 and thence back to the suction side of the motor-compressor unit through the tube 11.

The valve mechanism |31 includes an element which acts in response to changes of evaporator pressures to actuate a valve controlling the ow of vapor from the warmer evaporator 60 to ,the suction line '11, a liquid valve controlling the flow of refrigerant to the colder evaporator, and the switch IIS-v0. The assembly |31 also includes i -a check valve through which suction Vapor passes from the colder evaporator as it enters the asrator is the one within the eutectic tank H5. In

l addition to these two evaporators there is a third ythe two main evaporators is active.

y The cycling of the system is as follows: When the unit |30 is idle, a pressure rise within the colder evaporator causes the opening of the valve which controls the passage of vapor from the warmer evaporator to the dryer coil |38. In the event that the warmer evaporator reaches its preselected maximum pressure prior to the time that the colder` evaporator reaches its preselected maximum pressure, the higher pressure in the warmer evaporator acts rdirectly to unseat the valve which controls the iiow of vapor from the valve in the assembly |31 which controls the passage of vapor from the evaporator 6D to thev dryer coil |38. As this valve nears its closing point with the compressor continuingto operate, there is 'a rapid drop of pressure in the suction tube ll and evaporator |38. This reduction of pressure causes a further fiexure of the pres- V sure-responsive element, which is on the downstream side of the'closing valve. Such action on the pressure-responsive element effects a cornplete closing of the valve and there'is' a further drop in the suction pressure until it reaches the point where the lower pressure vapor in the colder evaporator lifts the check valve which controls' its admission to the assembly |37, to the pressureresponsive element and byway of the dryer coil sembly |31 to the colder evaporator is closedk whenever the warmer -evaporatoris operating so as to prevent liquid refrigerant from flowing into the colder evaporator at that time.

The dryer coil l|38 is provided with ns |39 having their lower edges cut at an angle. The

ns may be of parallelogram shape as shown, or may have some other shape at their upper edges, but the lower edge is inclined so as to provide a drip point whereby any condensate collected thereon will drip into the pan 66. It will be noted that the valve assembly |37 and all of the connecting tubes are likewise arranged so that condensate will drip from them into the pan 66. In order to provide for collection of condensate from the outer surface of the freezer 40, a drip baille l0 is arranged below the side of the freezer which extends beyond the drip pan 66.

The tube 16 is preferably not a s'o-called capillary tube, but is a tube of smaller inside diameter than the usual liquid line. This small diameter liquid line does net restrict the flow of liquid refrigerant to the extent of causing it to be cooled by its own expansion, since that would defeat the purpose of the heat exchanger. On the other hand the inside diameter of the liquid -tube 'I6 is small enough so that there will be a clean drainage of liquid refrigerant from it and the .bottom of the condenser, which would not occur if l the inside diameter of the liquid line |38 to the suctionline il. The system nowropery ates to cool the colder evaporator in the freezer and the evaporator E38. This operation continues until the evaporating pressure in the colder evaporator has fallen to its preselected minimum, at which point the pressure-responsive element causes the switch IBB to open, thus stopping the operation of the unit i3d.

' As will be seen in Figure 1 of the prior application last mentioned above, there is a check valve arranged to allow ow of liquid refrigerant from the expansion device to the warmer evaporator and there is also a valve controlling the flow of liquid refrigerant from the expansion device to the colder evaporator. This second 'Were large enough to allow vapor bubbles to pass' drops of liquid within the liquid line. At the end of an operating cycle all of the liquid within either of a capillary size or of the usual'liquid line size, there would be a loss of eillciency in either of these cases.

If the liquid line which forms a part of the heat exchanger were of capillary size the object of the heat exchanger would be defeated, both because of .the high rate of'flow through the capillary tube and because of the fact that partial evaporation of the liquid within the capillary tube cools the liquid by wasting some of its own refrigerating eiect instead of by giving up its heat to the Icold suction vapor. On the other hand if the tube 16 were of large enough diameter to allow liquid and vapor to pass each other within the tube, we would have this condition at the end of an operating period: There would be a valve is mechanically opened coincidentally with the closing of the pressure-actuated valve in the passage between the warmer-'evaporator and the dryer coll 33.'

The check valve in the suction passage leading from the colder evaporator is for the purpose of preventing warm refrigerant vapor flowing from the warmer evaporator to the colder one. Likewise the check valve between the expansion device and the warmer evaporator is to quantity of liquid within the liquid line as the compressor stops and this liquid would run down lin the tube while vapor from the condenser would pass through the capillary device |35. The liquid remaining in the bottom of the condenser and in the liquid line would then have to evaporate outside of the refrigerator and pass through the capillary device |35 in its vapor phase, thus carrying heat from the room into the refrigerator.

The control switch |40 is provided with a lever |62 designed to close the switch upon downward movement. By means of the rod |63, which is slotted at its upper end to allow some free movement of the pin located in the crank ltd, a lost motion connection may be made between thelever |42 and the shaft |1115` This shaft is tted at its forward end with lthe handle |46. Clock- 11 wise rotation of the handle rotates the rod -|45 against the resistance of the torsion spring |41, thus moving .the arm |44 and after taking up any lost motion this movement opens the valve which admits vapor from the evaporator 60 to the dryer coil |38 and the suction line 11, then closes the switch so that the system starts operating to cool Ithe ice-maker evaporator 60 and the evaporator |38.

The lamp 65, seen in Figure 1, is connected to one side -of 'the power line |48 and through the wire 64 to the opposite side of the line. One of these wires is provided with a switch, which is indicated inFigure l but not described in detail. This switch is closed :by the opening of the door and reopened when the door is closed by means commonly used in household refrigerators. The wire |33 from the current source leads to the motor of the motor-compressor unit |30 while the other line |48 from the current source leads to the switch |40. The opposite pole of the switch |40 is connected by means of the wire (4| with the other pole of the motor in the conventional manner. The motor-compressor unit |30, is mounted on rubber blocks or otherwise flexibly supported,

' as indicated inthe lower portion of Figure 1, and

includes a relay switch or starting circuit breaker, as usual. ,Y

The eutectic tank ||5 is nearly filled with the eutectic freezing solution ||6, leaving room for expansion when the solution freezes. This is a solution which freezes at a low temperature, pref- -erably about 0 F. The quantity of the eutectic my issued patent, No. 1,827,097. Another fact contributing to the holding of a constant low temperature within the freezer 40 will be understood upon consideration of the method of operating the switch |40 and the valvemechanism |31. These mechanisms provide for starting refrigerating effect in the evaporator |5| whenever its temperaturerises to-a predetermined limit, regardless of what temperature may obtain within other portions of the refrigerator. This switch and valve mechanism are more fully described in my'copending applications, No. 331.633, fled'ADril 26. 1940, and 346,085, filed July 18, 1940. This system of control provides for starting operation of the system whenever either the freezer evaporator or the evaporator which cools the main food compartment of the refrigerator rises to its cut-in temperature. Refrigeration is thus supplied where needed instead of -being controlled by a compromise method in response to some temperature between that of the main food space and' that of the evaporator which cools the freezer vor low temperature section of the refrigerator.

Since dew forms upon the outside of the tank 55 and the frostforms upon the evaporator 60;

this frost being periodically melted during idle periods of the evaporator,A I have provided the drip collecting pan 66 to collect the water thus deposited. The pan 6B is provided with one or more openings for draining such water into the 't'.ough 68 located below it.

Moisture will also condense on the outer walls of thefreezer 40. Most of this water will drain down over the tank cover 56 into the pan 66, but an additional drip baille 'l0 is provided to catch the moisture draining from that portion of the exterior surface ofthe freezer extending tothe leftof the ice-maker tank and deliver it to the drip pan 66. Thus all moisture collecting on exposed cooling surfaceswithin the refrigerator will finally reach the trough 60 and be drained out the back of the cabinet through the tube 'l2 to the condenser 14 on the back of the cabinet and be thereby re-evaporated to ambient air. This method of drip dissipation is more fully described in my U. S. Patent No. 2,145,776, issued Jan. 3l, 1939.

In Figures 2 and 3 I have shown an improvement in the drip evaporator associated with the condenser 14. The drain tube 'l2 conducts water from the trough $8 to the upper one of the several drip channels 13 which are formed integrally with the condenser 14, on its rear (outer) side. The condensate collected within the refrigerator flows from the uppermost of these channels 'I3 out its open left end as seen in Figure 3 into the channel T3 next below it and so on down the exposed side of the condenser. It has been found that in any ordinary operation of a refrigerator of this type, where the exposed cooling surfaces are either maintained above the freezing point or are defrosted at each cycle of the system, this type of drip evaporator will dispose of all condensateA io made readily cleanable.

There is a natural convection flow of air up-A .to insure that the refrigerator is not placed too close to the wall, I have formed the condenser sup-r ports 15 so that they extend rearwardly of the condenser to contact theA wall against which the refrigerator is placed. It will be seen that I have extended the supports 15 upwardly considerably farther than the condenser. This provides a vertical fiue above the condenser so that when the refrigerator is properly placed against the wall of a room a flue is formed to provide an additional draft of thermal circulation drawing air from near the floor over the 'condenser and drip evaporator. The column of .air above the condenser is lighter than ambient air, both because it has been heated by passage over the condenser and because water vapor has been added to it by the evaporation of drip water, water vapor being lighter than air.

The freezer assembly is supported in the cabinet I by means of brackets 50 and 52. The brackets 50 and latch housing 49 are, beveled at their lower extremities so that any moisture collecting therevdrip pan 66.

on will drain down the outer wall of the freezer 40 and drip onto bafiie 10. It will likewise be seen vthat theevaporator supports 5|, depending from the freezer to support the evaporator 60, are so located thatD any condensate running down them from the bottom of the freezer will fallinto the l On the right-hand side of the freezer there are supports 52 whichserve to support the right-hand side of the freezer and the Each of these parts B, 5i, and 52 is employed in duplicate at locations spaced from front to back. The supports 52 are formed so as to prol vide a drip point 53 on each, such drip points being located above the drip pan 66.

To facilitate packing of the refrigerator without the bad practice of putting screws into. the back of the cabinet and thereby endangering the air-tightness of the outer wall, which is necessary to maintain the insulating material in good condition, I have provided the holes 19 in the parts 15. Suitable screw hooks or bolts may thus lright-hand side of the ice-maker evaporator 6B. l

be used to hold the refrigerator securely against f the back of the packing case.

\ in addition to providing the" freezer with an adjustable shelf Iil, I have provided means for facilitating the transfer of food stuffs contained v l in small dishes between the freezer and the main food' storage compartment of the refrigerator as well as in and out of both. The tray |20, preferably of glass, is designed .to t closely within-the freezer and also to t in a fore-and-aft' position on a shelf of the main food compartment. The inside width of the freezer is only slightly less thanV the inside depth of the main food compartment, so that the tray will Just go into the freezer r while it provides somewhat more clearance forair circulation when placed-in a fore-and-.aft position on one of the shelves of the main food compartment.

If desired, the tray may be designed with an .extending flange or with straight sides and made of the correct length to be supported by the ribs which normally support the shelf AIi'l in the freezer. Such a modified tray, adapted to serve as a removable shelf, is shown in place in the freezer in Figure 1 and identified as E22.

The drawer ille, seen in the bottom of the cabinet, is arranged to slide within the cover or enclosure 05. Since the main food space of the cabinet is maintained in a high humidity condition because of being cooled by the exposed walls of the tank 55, by the non-frosting exterior walls of the freezer to, by the periodically defrosted evaporator S5 and by the dryer coil 438, none of which is continuously frosted, it is not necessary that the drawer iiiii be made particularly air tight, though thismay be done if it is desired tomaintain the drawer at a still higher humidity than that of the main Afood compartment.

The shelf lill -is of L form and of such proportions that it may be inverted to hang in the position indicated by ii' or it may be placed on top of the housing i115, as indicated by the dotted lines il". This latter position of the shelf is merely to provide for storing it out of the way useful for the storage of butter, sinc'e this cor-l ner of the refrigerator will be maintained Iat a somewhat higher temperature than the lower portions; It is desirable that butter for current use be stored ata higher temperature than is best for other food stuffs, and this refrigerator is designed to provide the desired higher .temperature space without the use of heating or heat leaking means such as are resorted to in some present models.

The common practices with respect to gaskets on refrigerator doors are either to letthe door gasket lmake contact with a fiat surface such as the face of the cabinet and with step surfaces parallel with the face of the cabinet, orv to have the gaskets contactagainst angular surfaces which converge inwardly toward the center of the dooropening at a uniform angle to the cabinet face o each side of the door. Both of these practices cause the gasket to slide upon its contacting surface, either at the hinge side of the door or at the opposite side, according to the practice followed. Unlike these common practices I have designed the contact surfaces of the door 'and of the cabinet sol as to approach as nearly as ls practicable to planes that radiate from the hinge axis of the door. kThis causes the door gasket, which in my case is a part of one or both of the molded breaker frames, to make contact with its l mating surface without the objectionable sliding motion.

Both of the door frames, namely the molded frame of the door itself and the molded frame of -the door opening, are formed with compound curves joining their contact areas at least on the corners adjacent to the hinge side. It will be vseen that the contact surfaces .of these frames may be in one plane at the latch side, the top and the lbottom of the door, yhence'the junctions of these surfaces at .the corners on the latch side y of the door or of its opening may be in one plane and this plane will still be substantially radial with respect to the hinge axis of the door. order that the contact surfaces of the frames on the hinge side may be substantially radial with respect to the hinge axis, these surfaces can not bein the same plane as the contact surfaces at the top, bottom and latch side of the door, hence it is particularly at the corners ofthe door and of its opening adjacent to the hinge side of the door l that these compound curves are required to pro- 'vide smooth, continuous contact areas and have the door close with the minimum of sliding movement between contacting surfaces.

As will be seen from the horizontal section of the `door in Figure 3, the axis of the door hinge is so located that the door will swing open to allow substantially unobstructed access to the interior of the refrigerator without swinging beyond the plane of the'outer Wall of the cabinet on the right-hand side. This and the absence of a projecting latch on the door allow the door to open fully when the cabinet is placed ln a right-hand corner of a room without requiring any extra clearance space for the opening of the door.

'I'he freezer di) and its door 62 are preferably made with molded frames somewhat as described for the outer door of the cabinet, but it is not so 'important to provide the freezer door with gasket means, since heat 'leakage at this point aids in cooling the main food space of the refrigerator instead of representing a loss of refrigerating effect to the room as in the case of the outer door. Since the freezer door will normally be frozen shut when left closed for a length of time, there will be very little air leakage around the freezer door except for a limited period after each time it is open. 'Ihis freezing shut of the freezer door is my reason for preferring to make the contacting surfaces between the freezer 4U and its door t2 .of metal or of a harder-surfaced composition than is used around the outer door of the cabinet. A soft material, such as is preferred to provide 15 some gasket eect around the outer'door, might beI damaged by the forcible opening of the freezer door when it is frozen shut.

The enlarged detail of door latch seen in Fig. 8 shows how the latch plate 9 is attached by means of the pin |8I to the hinge member 8, vwhich is secured to the outer wall sheet |82 of the cabinet. At the opposite side of the latch plate 9, it is pivoted by means of the pin |83 to the push rod I8, which is in turn pivoted to the latch lever |I by means of the pin |84. For'convenience ln assembly, the member I is notched to receive the pin |84 as theassembly comprising parts and |4 is inserted in the cabinet wall, whereupon the upper splined end of the rod I2 is inserted in the member I| from below and suitably retained at'its -lower end to maintain the spline engage- It will further be noted that the path of the pivot |86 upon counter-clockwise movement of part is on an arc having its center at the center ment. "The shaft I2 is supported by bearings I85 c 'closing of the door to produce any material movement of parts II, l2, 21, 29 and 24 since their weight and the action of the spring 3| oppose which are secured to the' sheet |82. The members y II and I4 are hinged together by thev pivot pin of the shaft l2, thus the first movement of Apart |I in a counter-clockwise direction moves the pivot I 86 away from the surface of |88, which is contacted by the part I4. This arrangement insures that the door is held snugly closed and yet allows easy movement of parts and I4 when manual contact is made with the plate 9,

In Fig. 8 I have shown sealing contacts between of the metal working dies of special Contour and such movement. It will be seen that the spring by the angular position of lever 21 when it engages the stop 32, which is attached to the cabinet.

Spring 3| is attached to the rod 29 by means of the collar |90 and attached tc the cabinet by means of support I9I.

The main cabinet door, of which a fraction is seen in Fig. 8, includes an outer sheet of metal |95 and an inner sheet of metal |96. These two sheets of metal are separated by the compression members 34, as previously explained, and are tied together by means of wires 35. At the latch position on the door 3 it is permissible that `the member |88 be welded or otherwise attached to both sheets |95 and |96. The section of member |88 may be reduced, or a, member of low thermal conductivity interposed between |88 and one or both of the sheets |95 and |96, if desired to further minimize thermal conductivity between these two sheets. It will be noted that the greater portion of the part |88 is buried within the molded insulating material |23 in the same manner as the members 34 and wires35 are buried.V

`It will be seen that the outer sheet |95 of the door 3 makes contact with the molded plastic material |23 of the cabinet Wall, while the cabinet liner |98 makes contact with the molded material I 23, which forms the frame of the door, thus4 providing a, double seal. The part |Il may be a sufliciently close fit within the molded material |23 of the cabinet wall to substantially prevent circulation of air into and out of the space enclosing the members and |4.

Due to the fact that the pivot |86 is not moved to any appreciable extent by the closing of the door 3, and this pivot point is not far out of line between the center line of shaft I2 and the point at which I4 contacts |88, the pressure cf |88 against I4, due to the force exerted by spring I8 urging. the door in an opening direction, does not produce lsufficient force in a counter-clockwise the permanent molds to produce the desired contours of the molded parts.

Fig. 9 may be considered as an enlarged detail of the lower right-hand corner of Fig. 3, showing the position of the spring I6, lever and pawl 22 when the door 3 is'in its 'partially opened initial stress of the spring I6, force is released for re-energizing the spring I6 to the extent indcated in Fig. 9, so that the pawl 22 is retained -jin the notch 23 of quadrant 24 and the door Fig. il).` 'Ihe spring I6 is now stressed to a greater degree than it was when the door was closed, so that when the user depresses the plate 9, thus moving the quadrant 24 out of engagement with pawl 22, the spring I6 causes the door to swing fully closed and be retained in that position by means of the latch member |4 engaging the striker |88. The user will naturally release the latch plate 9 just prior to the full closing of the door, so as to allow the latch i4 to retain the door in the closed position.

Referring to Fig. 11, which shows an enlarged detail of Fig. 2, it is seen that the ears 84 on the tank cover 56 carry a. pin` 2I0 pivoting thereto the member 2|2 to which one end of the rod 86 is rigidly attached. Likewise, a member 2|4 attached to the end of the tube 81 forms the support and stop for this tube with reference to the bracket 80, which is supported on the tank by means of the support 9|. The left-hand end of the tube 81 ls preferably tapered or chamfered, so as to allow free movement thereover of the coils of the spring 88. As the rod 86 slides within the tube 81 with movement of the cover 56, the spring 88 urges the cover 56 toward its closed mposition, but thejcover is hereshown open and is retained in the open position by mea-ns of its rib 92 engaging the ears 94 of bracket 90. The form of this rib, the form of the ears'94 and the position of the line of contact between the cover 56 and the tank 55 when the cover is open are so related to the pivot point 2in and the action of 4the spring 88 that the cover will rest in the position shown in Fig. 11 regardless of the fact that'. the spring 88 is urging the cover toward its closed yretained by the notches in the bottom of ythe ears 94, vthe spring 88 acts to complete the closing of the cover 55 on the tank 55.

Features shown in the drawings and not claimed herein form the subject matter of my application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 633,371, iiled December 7, 1945, for improvements in Refrigerator, the same being a division of the present application.

I claim as my inventiont' l. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, latch means for retaining said door in its closed position, means for releasing said latch means, means acting to open said door partially from closed position and close said door from fully open position, and means for holding said door in an open position' in opposition to the force of the .lastmentioned means, the third-mentioned means being so constructed and arranged as to close and latch said door in response to the release of the last said means.

2. A cabinet including an outer door, a power element connected with said door to actuate the same, means for energizing said element vin a direction to open said door partially from a closed position or in a direction to close said door from a fully open position, and means for latching said door in either closed or open position, manually actuated means for controlling the actuation of said door by said first mentioned means to moye said door from its closed position toward an open position or to move it from an open position toward its closed position.

v3. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, mechanical means for swinging said door in either direction power means for actuating said rnechanical means, and manually actuated means located clear of the swing oi' said door at door level for controlling the action of the rst two said means.

4. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet; mechanical means for swinging said door in either direction, power means for actuating said mechanical means, and manually actuated means located clear of the swing of said door for controlling the action of the rst two said means.

5. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, mechanical means for closing said door, power means for saidmechanic'al actuating means, said manually actuated means including a control element andere irrl the form of a plate conforming approximately to the form of an external face portion of said cabinet and located in close and approximately parallel'relation to said face portion.

7. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, a power element connected to said door for actuating the same in either its closing or opening direction, and manually actuated means for controlling-said power element, said means including a control element located on a level with a portion of said door and clear of its swing.

8. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, a power element for actuating said door, said power elcment being adapted to be energized by manual movement of said door in either direction beyond an intermediate position of opening, latching means for holding said door in closed position, and manual means for releasing said door from said closed position for actuation by said power element, said manual means including a plate conforming closely to the external form of the portion of said cabinet upon which it is located.

9. A cabinet, a door for said cabinet, power means operatively connected with said door operable to move it away from its opposite limits of movement, and manual means for controlling movementoi said door under the effects ol' said power means, the last said means including a depressible member formed to simulate, when in normally inoperative position, an area oi' anexterior wall of the cabinet. y

10. In a cabinet, a door, power means operably connected to said door for moving said door in either the opening or the closing direction from a closed or fully open position, respectively, and manually operable means controlling said power means, the manually operable means including a part providing a smooth surface for manual contact, said surface being located clear of the door swing and on a level with a portion of said door.

11. A refrigerator comprising an insulated storage space and a machinery compartment, a door for said space, energy, means located in said compartment operatively connected to said door and operable to move said door from either a fully closed or a fully open position, a latch for holding said door closed in opposition to said energy means, and manual control means operable t0 release said latch, said manual control means including a control element exposed on the exterior of said refrigerator.

12. A cabinet, an outer door for said cabinet, latch means for holding said door closed, additional latch means for holding said door open,

means operable to move said door toward open position upon release of the nist-mentioned latch means and to move said door toward closed position upon release of the second-mentioned latch means, and means for controlling the firstmentioned -latch means including manually operable means on a fixed outer wall of said cabinet.

13. A cabinet having an cuter door, latch means adapted to hold said door in a suiiiciently open position to permit ready access to the interior thereof, resilient means tending t0 close said door from a fully open position, and manually operable releasing meansA for said latch means, said manual means including a part located at elbow height on a fixed wall of the cabinet.

14. In a cabinet, a door for said cabinet, latch means for-'holding said door closed, spring means energized in the direction of opening said door when the door is closed, means for releasing said TVA latch means so that the door will be partially opened by said spring means, said door and spring means being so constructed and arranged that momentum Aimparted to said door in the initial stages of its opening by said spring means will partially re-energize said spring means in the direction of reclosing said door, additional ltch means for preventing the reclosing of said door by said spring means, said additional latch means also being adapted for` holding said door in l0 GLENN MUFFLY. n 

